Nitesh Kripalani quits as country head at Amazon Prime Video

Nitesh Kripalani, who was heading Amazon India’s Prime Video division, has reportedly quit from his role. While the reason is not known yet, the company says that he decided to quit due to personal reasons.

In an official statement, Amazon India spokesperson said, “Nitesh has decided to move on citing personal reasons and August 14 is his last day at the company.”

Nitesh Kripalani had joined Amazon India in December 2014 as head of the instant video business. He was instrumental in drafting deals with various Indian film production companies and content makers.

Amazon Prime Video was launched in India in December last year, and has seen a rapid growth in subscriber numbers. To lure subscribers, the company came up with an introductory offering for the membership at just Rs 499 for the first year — the offer is still running. The platform has also invested heavily in exclusive movies, TV shows and stand-up comedy content.

Earlier this month, Amazon Prime Video announced a worldwide exclusive content deal with Salman Khan, which is said to be one of the biggest such deals. The deal allows over-the-top (OTT) video streaming of all future films of Salman Khan exclusively on Amazon Prime Video right after the theatrical release.

Amazon Prime Video boasts many renowned tie-ups in the country ever since it entered the Indian market. Some of its tie-up in India include Vishal Bharadwaj, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Mukesh Bhatt-owned Vishesh Films, Dharma Productions, among others. It has also signed long-term output deals with major production houses in India – Yash Raj Films, Excel Entertainment, T Series and others.

Prior to Amazon, Nitesh Kriplani was working at Sony Pictures Networks India as an executive vice president. He was head of SPN’s new media, business development and digital/syndication unit and was the brain behind video-on-demand platforms Sony Liv and Liv Sports.